Telesis Girls Teach Lesson in Courage

Yesterday was my birthday and it wasn't until Friday that I finally figured out what I wanted.

Just the other day I took an online quiz, and one of the questions was what character from the Wizard of Oz am I most like. I thought I was a perfect fit for the scarecrow, but after Friday I now know that I'm more like the cowardly lion than I'd like to admit.

I want what the cowardly lion wanted - courage. I don't want your run of the mill courage. I want the courage that I saw exhibited by the Lake Havasu Telesis girls basketball team.

Before Telesis took on our Kingman Academy of Learning, I did some research on the league's Web site and saw that Telesis was 0-1. The Web site reported a score of 75-0, but that couldn't have been right, could it?

Unfortunately, it was correct. And it is correct that KAOL beat them 68-0 on Friday.

Stephen Crane wrote "The Red Badge of Courage" in 1895. If he had seen the play of Telesis on Friday, he would have never written his book and would have allowed someone in the year 2007 to write it. It was truly as remarkable a show of courage that I have ever seen take place on a basketball court or any athletic field. Ever.

After losing their opening game to Quartzsite Scholars, I am left to wonder what was going on in the minds of those young ladies. Did they consider quitting? I hope not. The Telesis Tigers have a lot to offer to those who witness their games.

I do know that they aren't quitters. Telesis did not lay down one bit against KAOL. They kept trying and trying. I only saw one moment where one of their players got frustrated. Her coach quickly took the time to talk to her, and that was the end of that.I have to look at myself through the mirror that the Telesis team has held up in front of me. Do I have what it takes to come off of a 75-0 drubbing and be willing to face another one?

As I begin another trip around the bright yellow orb in the sky, I have discovered that I need a dose of Telesis-like courage.When my boss hands me that assignment that presses me down to the core, I will remember Telesis and what they have given me, even if they don't realize it.

I'll leave our cozy little confines here at the Miner and face the challenge as if I was trying to score a basket.

I have to do this. Though Telesis scored nothing, they didn't try for nothing. It is my moral responsibility to the Telesis Lady Tigers that their effort on Friday never goes down in history as nothing.

After all, they gave me the best birthday present I could have ever asked for.

Shawn Byrne

Miner Sports Writer

Weekly Schedule December 10th – December 14th

This is our schedule for the week ending December 14th, 2007. It is important to remember that these schedules are not etched in stone. Our firm belief in adjusting our curriculum to meet the needs of students sometimes causes slight changes. It is important to note that ample time is given in class to complete most assignments. There are occasional projects, spanning a week or more, that will require students to work outside of class. There will be no more than one of these per month. If you have any questions, please contact me at extension 38.

1st Year Social Studies (Period 1 & 3) – This week we will continue our study of the colonies. Students will also be assigned a biography of one of the following people: John Smith, William Penn, Lord Baltimore, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, or James Oglethorpe. The biography must be typed, Times New Roman font, double spaced, with standard margins. The biography is due December 20th.

Monday: We will continue to compare and contrast the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.

Tuesday: We will be studying the New England Colonies. The New England Colonies of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island all share Puritan roots. This program examines the origins and beliefs of the Puritan religion. It also explains why Puritans were persecuted in England and why they wanted to settle in America. The circumstances surrounding the creation of each New England colony is detailed, but particular attention is given to the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the founding of Massachusetts. The many ways that Puritanism manifested itself in New England are described and the “Triangle Trade” is explained. There will be two worksheets and a short quiz.

Wednesday: We will be studying the Middle Colonies. This program tells the stories of the Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. This region, which lies between the southern colonies and New England, was originally colonized by settlers from Holland and Sweden and was later seized by England so it has a distinct history. Slavery was not a big factor in the middle colonies, nor was Puritanism. Special emphasis in this program is given to William Penn, a man whose influence was felt in the development of three different colonies. There will be two worksheets and a short quiz.

Thursday: We will be studying the Southern Colonies. The Southern Colonies of Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, and North and South Carolina were very distinct from England’s other American colonies because their economic success was based on slave labor. This program tells the stories of these colonies. Beginning with England’s first attempts at colonization on Roanoke Island in the 1580s, this program examines the motivations for founding each southern colony. The problems colonists faced in settling new territory and interactions with American Indians are detailed. The role of slavery, conflicts with Spain, colonial exports, and methods of government are also examined. There will be two worksheets and a short quiz.

2nd Year Social Studies (Period 2 & 4) – We will be studying Mesopotamia and begin studying Ancient Egypt.

Monday: We will view “Mesopotamia: Trade Routes and Transportation.” For the Sumerians, the Tigris River served as an important early trade route. See how they traveled by river and overland to trade with India and Egypt. Then examine how technological advances, such as the cart, facilitated transporting people and goods.

Tuesday: We will be studying the Code of Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi (also known as Codex Hammurabi) is one of the earliest and best preserved law codes from ancient Babylon, created ca. 1760 BC (middle chronology). It was enacted by the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi.[1] Earlier collections of laws include the codex of Ur-Nammu, king of Ur (ca. 2050 BC), the Codex of Eshnunna (ca. 1930 BC) and the codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (ca. 1870 BC).[2]

Wednesday: We will be viewing “Ancient Egypt: The Gift of the Nile.” Three thousand years before the rise of the Roman Empire, the Nile River gave birth to one of the most wondrous civilizations ever to grace the earth-Ancient Egypt. Students explore the colossal tombs and temples of the pharaohs. They learn how the Egyptians built mountains of stone to honor dead kings and queens and protect their mummies forever. Students meet Amun-Ra (Rê), the sun god, and Horus, the protector of kings. Ancient Egyptian civilization finally passed into history, but the river remains.

Thursday: We will view “Great Egyptians.” Gender, age, and cunning were behind three of ancient Egypt's most intriguing rulers — and left indelible marks on the history of the country. Hatshepsut: Queen Who Became King — She declared herself King of Egypt and got away with it. Peek into her incredibly successful 22-year reign. Tutankhamen: Mystery of the Boy King — Victim of foul play? What happened to the 11-year-old king whose life was a clash between childhood and kingship? Cleopatra: Last of the Pharaohs — Discover how Cleopatra used shrewd political instincts to seduce the Roman Empire into restoring Egypt's greatness. We will decide “Who Killed King Tut?”

Health –

Friday: We will be examining ways to resolve conflict.

Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken (1915)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
-I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This poem is usually interpreted as an assertion of individualism, but critic Lawrence Thompson has argued that it is a slightly mocking satire on a perennially hesitant walking partner of Frost's who always wondered what would have happened if he had chosen their path differently.

What evidence can you find in the poem to support each of these views?

Second Year Tablet Project

“A wormhole, a wormhole, a wormhole,” shouted Professor Timskink, “Run for you lives!”
You look over at the professor, too late, you’ve been sucked in! As your vision is blurred by the many diverse and strange images that flash before your eyes, you realize that you have left your time behind. The professor had been experimenting with time travel and you have become his first victim, or subject depending on your viewpoint.

You have landed back in Ancient Sumer, where they are creating a written language.

Your assignment is to create an original alphabet (that in no way resembles the written language you know), create a key (see below for an example), and a three dimensional tablet that has one of the following bits of wisdom on it:

1. A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five

2. I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.

3. Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.

4. When you come to a fork in the road ... Take it.

5. We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Your grade will be based on imagination and creativity. The project is due Thursday December 20th, 2007.

Weekly Schedule December 3rd – December 7th

This is our schedule for the week ending December 7th, 2007. It is important to remember that these schedules are not etched in stone. Our firm belief in adjusting our curriculum to meet the needs of students sometimes causes slight changes. It is important to note that ample time is given in class to complete most assignments. There are occasional projects, spanning a week or more, that will require students to work outside of class. There will be no more than one of these per month. If you have any questions, please contact me at extension 38.

1st Year Social Studies (Period 1 & 3) – This week we will continue our study of the colonies. We will take a brief break to remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Monday, December 3rd: We will view “The New England Colonists: From Pilgrims to Puritans”. We will have a worksheet due Tuesday and a short quiz.

Tuesday, December 4th: We will compare and contrast the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.

Wednesday, December 5th and Thursday, December 6th: We will view Tora, Tora, Tora!

2nd Year Social Studies (Period 2 & 4) – We will be studying Mesopotamia. We will take a brief break to remember the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Monday, December 3rd: We will view “Mesopotamia: From Nomads to Farmers.” We will discuss how and why the Sumerian civilization developed from many nomadic groups. We will complete a worksheet and have a quiz.

Tuesday, December 4th: We will view “Mesopotamia: The Development of Written Language.” We will discuss the importance of the written language and why the Sumerians developed one. There will be a worksheet due Wednesday. There will also be a new project assigned.

Wednesday, December 5th and Thursday, December 6th: We will view Tora, Tora, Tora!

Health –

Friday, December 7th: We will be examining violence prevention.